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McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame Names Inductees

The McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame is set to induct five new members on Saturday September 15 as part of the Homecoming celebrations.

McMaster’s Athletic Department announced the pending inductees of student-athletes on Thursday, including Sheldon Francis (wrestling), Stefanie West (Howorun) (wrestling), Jesse Lumsden (football) and Michele Oliver (swimming). Alongside the individual inductees, McMaster will also induct the 1997 national title winning Marauders baseball team.

Francis (class of 2008), the co-MVP of the men’s wrestling team in 2005, graduated as one of the Marauders most accomplished wrestlers in program history. He would suit up for McMaster for five seasons between 2003 and 2008. During that time, he never failed to step onto the podium at the conference and national levels.

The then Bachelors of Commerce student picked up two CIS gold (2006, 2007), two CIS silver (2005, 2008) and one CIS bronze (2004), three OUA gold (2004, 2007, 2009) and two OUA silver (2005, 2006) medals. Francis would be named the CIS Outstanding Male Wrestler in 2006 and was awarded the national RW Pugh Fair Play award in 2005.

The accolades did not end there though as Francis also picked up the OUA’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in back to back seasons in 2007 and 2008. At the completion of his third year od competition in 2006, McMaster awarded him with the Ivor Wynne Award as the school’s Male Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the award in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Howorun (class of 2008) wore the maroon and grey for McMaster’s women’s wrestling team as well as the red and white of Canada. She was a four-time OUA medalist and was named McMaster’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2006 and was a finalist for the same award the next year as well. Along with her OUA medals, Howorun would pick up a CIS bronze at 65kg in 2005 and moved up a weight class the next year to capture a silver medal at 67kg.

The two-time MVP made herself known nationally in 2004 when she won gold at the Canadian Junior National Championships and added bronze medals to her collection at the FISU Games and Senior National Championships in the 67kg category in 2005. Howorun would also pick up a bronze at the 2006 Pan-American Wrestling Championships and defended her bronze at the Senior National Championships before capturing a gold at the Commonwealth Senior Wrestling Championships in 2007.

Along with wrestling, Howorun is accomplished in judoka, winning a silver at the 2005 Francophone Games.

Lumsden (class of 2008) is arguably one of the best running backs that ever-played University football in Canada, re-writing school, conference and national record books over his four-year playing career as a Marauder. He would set records in every category he was eligible for, including points scored in a single season (126), touchdowns in a single season (21), career touchdowns (46), rushing yards in a single season (1816), average yards per carry in a single season (10.2), longest run from scrimmage (108 yards) and career rushing average per carry (nine).

Despite only playing four seasons, his record of 4138 career rushing yards surpasses the next Marauder by 1498 yards. Lumsden 2004 touchdown count of 21 is an OUA record and ties the national mark, while the 1816 yards from that season were new conference and national records.

Lumsden would capture the Yates Cup with his teammates in 2002 and 2003.

Following a short career in the Canadian Football League that included time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders, Lumsden became a member of the Canadian National Bobsled team. He would appear in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games and captured multiple World Cup and World Championship medals.

Oliver (class of 1981), who was a freestyle specialist, set the OWIAA on fire in two seasons as a Marauder. She would earn six conference and three national medals between 1978 and 1980. At the 1979 OWIAA Championships Oliver would win both the 400m and 800m freestyle events, then picked up a CIAU bronze at 400m and added a national gold medal in the 400m individual medley.

She followed that up the next year with golds in the 400m freestyle and 400m individual medley, silver in the 800m freestyle and helped the Marauder capture a silver medal in the 800m freestyle relay. Those medals would help the school win the OWIAA bronze. Oliver finished off her incredible 1979-80 season by defending her national gold medal in the 400m individual medley.

The 1997 Marauders baseball team had a 22-3 record as they went on to capture the school’s first Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) Championship title. The team finished atop the divisional regular season standings with a record of 14-2 and secured the division title with a 2-1 semi-final series victory over Western and a two-games to none series sweep of the Brock Badgers who were the defending champions.

At the nationals, McMaster would pick up three victories in the round robin portion of the tournament, defeated Dalhousie 13-6, Toronto 15-4 and a 2-0 win over Laval which saw Doug Lunney pitch a no-hitter. In the finals the Marauders would face the Rouge et Or which saw the men in maroon fall behind 5-0 before coming back to walk-off with a 6-5 win.

Lunney would be named as the CIBA Pitcher of the Year that season, while Craig Cooper earned Top Hitter honours and Scott Hughes was the championship MVP. Brad Reeson would also pick up the team’s MVP award and named a Golden Glove winner.

The 2018 induction class will be honoured with a ceremony on Saturday of Homecoming at the McMaster Students’ Centre’s CIBC Hall. Tickets for the 2018 Hall of Fame Induction Brunch can be purchased online by clicking here.